Written and directed by Kipp Tribble, co-directed by Derik Wingo, when Wendy Darling escapes an attempted abduction, her family employs James and Smee to identify the attacker with the help of the only eyewitness: Peter Pan. Starring: Kenny Yates, Kipp Tribble, Derek Wingo, Joanne Wilson, Elisa Nixon, Liam Nelligan and Adam Lau.
While Before Never’s opening does feel somewhat weak and the two hour runtime is a touch concerning, if you stick with it, Kipp Tribble and Derik Wingo actually do fairly well to build a slow-burn thriller. It might not be entirely what you’re expecting, as so many of these horror re-imaginings of childhood classics love to rely on gratuitous violence and slasher vibes, but Before Never goes in a different direction.
Instead, they create a psychological game between Pan (Kenny Yates) and James ‘Hook’ Pierrepoint (Kipp Tribble). One that slowly reveals its sinister layers and manipulation. It may stray fairly far from the original material, but it does work and gets stronger as it progresses. Its secrets aren’t all hidden as well as they could be, and that slow pacing isn’t going to be for everyone but there’s a good concept and it’s interesting viewing.
Part of that is the performance from Kenny Yates, who really embraces the buoyant personality of Pan and twists that into something darker. It’s entertaining to watch as he builds a feel of a creepy cult leader, yet manages to not go overboard, which is surprising. While Kipp Tribble leans far into Hook’s theatricality, his performative eloquence, which can feel a touch too much at times, straying from the overall tone of Before Never but you can definitely see the intentions behind it. The two of them make for good sparring partners.
Before Never might not be for everyone but it is an admirable attempt to twist a beloved childhood tale into something insidious and dark. It’s definitely a slow-burn but there’s a good amount of thought that went into it, to make it flow evenly, despite running a little too long. It could have potentially benefited from sticking closer to that nice ninety-minute mark. There’s a strong sinister edge, and Kipp Tribble and Derik Wingo do well to not overplay their hand with the violence or playfulness. Kenny Yates gives a great performance to push Pan into Pennywise territory. The cinematography could use a better grit or sharpness, and it does ask you for a little bit of patience but it’s solid mystery-thriller outing.
FilmCarnage.com 